Plumbing system



sept. 2o, 1932. W J. LUEF 1,878,949

PLUMBING SYSTEM ATTORN 6,

Sept. 20, 1932. W. J, UFF

PLUMBING SYSTEM Filed July l5, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 O 4 w 'l /f f/O --l L l 42 1 O u g -V1 MA .fi 35 'i 44\\ f4; E j i f-xl Q o T E INVENTOR.

ATTURNEYS Z0, 1932. w. .1. UFF

PLUMBING SYSTEM' Filed July l5.

1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

PVA/.MED I Uf-'f' ATTORNEYS .Filed July 15, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 #-53 JNVENTOR.

w/M rep 14a/PF Y 5,0m @$23k ATTQRNEY5 Patented Sept. 20, 1932 PAT `WILLARD J'. L'UFF, OF CLEVELAND VHEIG'rI-IILS, OHIO :PLUMBING- SYSTEM Application led July 15,1930. Serial No. 468,173.

The present invention relates, as indicated, to improvements in plumbingA systems and fittings therefor, and the primary object is to provide an efficient system and fittings 5 therefor in which, -in case the soil or waste stack becomes clogged, the possibility of overflow of any fixture is substantially eliminated, and any stoppage would be indicated by liquid standing in one or more fixtures,

A10 or by the obstruction of the free discharge through the branch connecting one or more fixtures. Y

Another object is to provide for'the accomplishment of the primary object in such 15 a manner as to arrest solids, also to t situations where economy of space is highly important, as in certain types of apartment house construction. Further objects will appear as the description proceeds. To the ac- 20 complishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in they claims.

The annexed drawings and the following 25 description set forth in Vdetail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention maybeused.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic elevation of one section of a plumbing system; F ig.'2 is a floor plan of the piping of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an elevation of a modified con- 35 struction; Fig. t is a floor plan of the piping of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a central vertical section on an enlarged scale of a fitting used in the assembly of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a view sirnilar to Fig. 5, but showing a modified construction; Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7; Fig. .9 is a central vertical section of a fitting similar to Fig. 5, but having an additional vent connection; Fig. 10 shows the fitting of Fig. 9

with an additional element; land Fig. 11 is a horizontal section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 9.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 50 2, it will be seen that the system illustrated comprises a soil or waste stack 10, a vent stack 11, and a plurality of fixtures such as a bath tub 12, a wash bowl 13, anda water closet 14-, It will be understood that the vent stack is connected to .the soil or waste.-y stack at the bottom, as is customary, and is thus capable of carrying off overflow. In the illustrated arrangement, a waste pipe 15 leads from the tub 12 through a trap 16 to the main soil or waste pipe 17. Said pipe 17 is provided with a T118 to which is connected a waste branch 19 leading from a trap connected to the wash bowl 13. VAnother T 20 in the waste pipe 17v has connected thereto avent branch 21 communicating at 22 with the vent stack 11. A vent branch 23 connects the wash bowl trap with a T 24 in the vent pipe 21. Qutlet for the water closet 14 is provided through a pipe 25.

In the soil or waste stack 10 there is connected a branched fitting indicated generally at 26 and taking the form, in the illustratedembodiment, of an it fitting comprising a main portion 27 and a branch 28. Similarly,'in the vent stack 11 there is con` nected a'tting indicated generally at 29 and comprising a main portion SO-and a branch 31. The tting 32 connects the branches k28 and 31, whereby the fittings 26, 29 and 82 provide communication between the soil or waste stack andthe vent stack. As will be obvious from an inspection of the drawings, the fitting 29 is located at a level substantially above that of the fitting' 26; and the fitting 32, providing an inlet connection 33 for the pipe andan inlet connection 3.4 for the waste pipe 17, is located substantially midway between said fittings V26 and 29.

F ig.V 1 clearly showsthatthe point` 35 at which the branch 31 of the fitting 29 joins the main portion of said fitting is` disposed vata level above the .level of the bottom of the bath vtub 12 and below the top thereof; and below the top ofthewash basin and the water clost. If the soil or waste stackbecomes clogged at any point below'the point 34.0fconnection of the waste pipe 17 with the fitting 32, liquid discharged fromv any one of the fixtures will Aflow into the fitting .32 and to the point of stoppage Asmore liquid flows, it will back up in the soil or waste stack 10, the branch 28, the fitting 32, the branch 31, the pipes 17, 19 and 21, and the bath tub 12 until its level reaches the point 35, meanwhile rising to the level A-B in the stack 10 and in the various waste and vent branches, such as 19 and 21, as well as inthe water closet bowl and in the bath tub. If still more liquid is discharged from any one of the fixtures, or from fixtures on floors above connected to the soil or waste stacklO, it will overflow the point 35 and find its way out of the system through the vent stack 11. It

will thus be seen that, since the point 35 is disposed at a level below the top of any fixture, the possibility of overflow of any fixture is substantially eliminated. It is highly improbable that both the soil or waste stack and the vent .stack will become clogged at the same time, and consequently it may be said that .there is substantially no possibility of overv shown a shower bath, such as 60, Fig. 3, with iow of any Xture. It will be obvious that, without the provision of the above described connection between the soil or waste` stack and the vent stack, clogging of the soil or waste stack followed by a dischargeof a material amount Yof. liquid from the wash basin 13 or from fixtures on floors above connected to the soil or waste stack 10, would cause the bath tub 12 and the water closet 14 to overflow.

It will likewise be seen that, since the point 35 is disposed at a level above the bottom of the bath tub 12, stoppage of the soil or waste stack will be noticed almost immediately, Y

stoppage below the level of eitherrof the soil or waste inlets 33 and 34.

Figs. 3 and 4 show an arrangement for,

close spacing of the soil and waste stack 10 to the` vent stack 11, and also for limiting the length of vent stack through which overiow will travel. In this form the waste and vent stacks are connected at'top and bottom in the usual manner, by ttings 40 and 41, as shown. At each floor an H fitting 42 is tted into the vent stack and a Y fitting 43 is .fitted into the soil and Vwaste stack immediately below .in the manner shown with the inner leg Y l 44 ofthe fitting 42 joining the inner hub 45 of the `tting 43, whereby the overflow down the vent stack runs down only one ioor be- Y fore being returned to the waste stack 10.

To give a c-ontinuous vent stack,the outer -leg 46 of each fitting 42 fits into the top of an. inwardly bent vent stack section 47Y which lies close alongside the inner side of the fitting 43. Inasmuch as the straight side of the fitting 43 carries the waste and soil stack down vertically, this section 47 serves to bring the vent stack back close to the waste stack in the .distance between th'e floors, as will be apparent from the showing of Fig. 3, noting particularly the broken-away sections of the two stacks.

By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the pipe elements 46,47, the right side of 48, and 44 on the lower fioor of the figure, have the emergency function of by-passing overflow from the upper floor, as well as the normal function of venting. In another aspect the elements 47 and 46 may be regarded as diverting the vent stack around the connection 43 at `each floor, but the term bypass i does not refer to this phase of the normal venting function.

In connection with this form I have also y flowing through and thus indicate the stoppagejust as effectively as though it were standing in the bath tub 112, and it is understood that this would be equivalent to the showing of waste in a fixture as particularly described in theV claims hereinafter set forth.

vIt will be understood that a shower bath could be combined similarly with the arrangement shown in Fig. 1. n

In all figures of the drawings the overflow point is indicated at 35, andthe overflow level by the line -A-l-B.

The various branch connections are substanti ally the samein Figs. 3 and 4 as they are in Figs. 1 and 2, and require no detailed description. rlhe fitting 48 is a cross-over fitting similar to that disclosed in my United States Patent No. 1,7 00,230. I

Variousforms of fittings to connect the vent stack with thefsoil Vand waste stack are shown in ldetail in Figs.y 5 tof`11, inclusive. In Figs. 5 and 6 a short segmental'wall section or 4lip 50V is shown inside the fitting 42 beginning at the top hub, for the purpose of preventing water whichk comes down the vent stack 11 from `being d rawn along the leg 46 by surface tension. A vconvenient method 0f construction, here illustrated, is by fitting thefedgesof the section 50 into grooves 51, although off course the wall section couldbe otherwise secured, or even castin place.

In certain circumstances a screen. maybe desirable to strain out solids andprevent them from passing into the vent stack. Such a screen 52 is shown in Figs. 7 and 8, also conveniently heldin place by sliding into grooves 53, so thatit can readily be removed for clean-V of the vent stack, or in the connections be-l -being used for corresponding parts.

ing if clogged. In Fig. '7 the parts correspond to tloseof Fig. 5, the same reference characters with the addition. of prime marks In this form it is necessary to run the inner side of the leg gld straight up to provide. a seat for the bottom of the screen 52. r

Figs. 9, and il illustrate a modification of the tting 48 of Fig. 3, having side openings 160 and 161 to receive vent pipes from fittings. The upper part of the waste and soil passage 63 carries a sleeve 64 which makes a continuous waste and soil channel within the body 65 of the fitting. The body 65 is sufficiently large to allow flow of air from the connection 161 around the sleeve 64 into the vent leg or passage 66,'as Fig. vll makes apparent.

The fitting shown in these. figures is a modification of that shownin my United States Patent No. 1,700,230, but a comparison of the present Fig. ll with Fig. 4 of that patent will show that the enlargement of the body portion 65 of the present fitting is carried across the full width of the fitting. This does not increase the maximum outside width of the fitting beyond that of the fitting disclosed in the patent, and consequently the present fitting, like that of the patent, can be completely housed within the wall of the building. However, the present'shape enables me to use a small inwardly directed shoulder 66A at the junction of the vent hub 67 with the body 65. See Fig. 9. This flange may have an inside diameter as great Vas the inside diameter of the vent stack proper, and so not choke the vent. At the same time il'. will carry water away from the inner walls of the body 65, thus breaking the surface tension which would otherwise lead some of the discharge into the fixture vent at the connection 160. A lower shoulder 66B, steeply sloped, reduces the size of the body 65 to the diameter of the vent leg 66.

In situations where the flange 66A is considered insuflicient for this purpose, a short sleeve 68, Fig. l0, can be used, resting on the flange by a top enlargement, as shown. sleeve 68 need extend only down to a level opposite the bottom of the connection 160,

and will therefore be short enough not to interfere with the air flow necessary for ventilation.

It will also be seen that., in all the portions tween the soil or waste stack and the vent stack, all the wall surfaces with which the waste discharge would come in Contact, have been shown disposed at a steep downward pitch, so that there would be practically no possibility of solids adhering at any point in the system.

It will also be seenthat the vent stack has been shown to be substantially the same size as the soil or waste stack, as it has been real- The ized that the size of the vent stack and the connections between the soil or waste stack and the vent stack should be proportioned with a capacity to transmit the discharge which would overflow from the soilor waste; stack.

The terms Aand expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any mechanical equivalents of the features shown and described, but recognize that various structural modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

For the sake of brevity, the term waste stack is used in certain of the claims to indicate a stack for carrying both waste and soil.

`What I claim is l. In a plumbing system, a waste stack, vent stack adjacent thereto, a connection between said stacks entering the waste stack below the entry to the vent stack, and means for excluding downfiowing water in said waste stack from said vent stack, the lowest point of said entry of said connection into the vent stack being at a predetermined overflow level, a plurality of fixtures in said system each having an outlet and an overflow level, said predetermined overflow level being situated above the outlet of at least one of said fixtures and below the lowest overflow level of any fixture.

2. In a plumbing system, a soil or waste stack and a vent stack adapted to receive overflowing discharges from saidwaste stack, fixtures adapted to be connected to said stacks, means connecting said fixtures to said waste stack, and means connecting certain of said xtures to said vent stack, comprising a tubular fitting in the vent stack provided with a port in itsV side wall, an annular,internal shoulder formed above said port, asecond shoulder formed below said port, the diameter between said shoulders being substantially greater than the diameter of said vent stack.

3. In a plumbing system, a `soil or waste stack and a vent stack adapted to receive overflowing discharges from said waste stack, fixtures adapted to be connectedv to said stacks, means connecting said xtures to said waste stack, and means connecting certain of said fixtures to said vent stack, comprising a tubular fitting in the vent stack provided with a port in its side wall, an annular, internal shoulder formed above said port, a second shoulder formed below said port, the diameter between said shoulders being vsubstantially greater than the diameter of said vent stack, a sleeve having a diameter substantially equal to the normal diameter of the vent stack mounted on the upper annular shoulder and extending substantially to the bottom of said port, and providingan annularspace communicating between said port and said vent stack.

Y4. In a plumbing system, a soil or waste stack and a vent stack adapted to receive overiiowing discharges from said waste stack, fixtures adapted to be connected to said stacks, means connecting said fixtures to said waste stack, and means connecting certain of said fixtures to said vent stack, and means connecting certain of said fixtures to said vent stack through said waste stack, comprising an H fitting having one leg connected in said waste stack and the other connected to said vent stack, and having a passage formed in the transverse connection between said legs, cach of said legs being enlarged in cross section intermediate its ends and having a port entering therein.

5. In a plumbing system, .a soil or waste stack and a vent stack adapted to receive overflowing discharges from said waste stack, fixtures adapted to be connected to said stacks, means connecting said fixtures to said waste stack, means connecting certain of said fixtures to said vent stack, and means connecting certain of said xtures to said vent stack through said waste stack, comprising an H fitting having one leg connected in said waste stack and the other in said vent stack, and having a passage formed in the transverse connection between said legs, each of said legs being enlarged in cross section intermediate its ends and having a port entering therein, said leg connected in said vent stack being provided with means supporting a sleeve having a diameter substantially equal to the normal diameter of said vent stack and extending substantially to the bottom of said port in saidleg in said vent Y stack and providingv an annular space communicating between said port and said vent stack.

6. A plumbing system for a plurality of floors comprising, in combination, a waste stack, a vent stack, a branch connection from said vent stack to said waste stack at every floor level, and an overflow by-pass by way of said vent stack around each said connection, said by-pass rej oining the waste stack at the next lower floor.

7 In a plumbing system, a soil or waste stack, a vent stack, a vertically disposed connection between said waste stack and said vent stack, a plurality of fixtures disposed at such levels that the bottom drains of some are higher than the overflows of others, branch waste pipes from said fixtures in communication with said waste stack through said vertically disposed connection, said connection entering said vent stack at a height below the lowest of said overflowsand above 'the lowest of said drains.

waste stack between iioors but offset from said waste Astacli at each floor, an interstack connection at each floor` in the space withln said offset, a plurality of fixtures on each `iioor disposed at such levels that the bottom drains of some are higher thanthe overflows of others, branch waste pipes from said xtures in communication with said interstaclr connection at the junction of said connection with the waste stack, said connection comprising av vertical section, a downwardly inclined bottom connection into the waste stack, a top connection straight upward into the said closely parallel vent stack, and a -top connection into said vent stack odset.

9. A plumbing system for a plurality of floors comprising in combination a vent stack and a waste stack and an overiiow connection at each floor into said vent stack, said overflow connection comprising a vertical pipe section between the waste and vent stacks, said section beingl connected at its top into the vent stack and at its bottom into the waste stack whereby at each fioor the vent stack is odset from its position contiguous to said waste stack, but is returned thereto through the said vertical section on the floor below.

l0. In a plumbing system for drainage from fixtures at a plurality of fioor levels, a waste stack, a vent stack, means for overflow ofdrainage into said vent stack during stoppage of said waste stack, and a vertically disposed connection between said waste stack and said vent stack, said connection entering said vent stack below said means and above the lower end of said vent stack, and said connection being `adapted to return said drainage to said waste stack below said stoppage after passage of said drainage through said vent stack. Y

Signed byme, this 12th day of July, 1930.

v n WILLARD J. LUFF.

8. A plumbing systemv for a plurality of 

